Vials
by Acteon Carolsfeld
Summary: Tailgate has a lot of words. However, every time he says the ones that matter, Cyclonus seems to only know how to spurn them. IDW; Cyclonus/Tailgate; implied intimacy.


**WARNING**: Spoilers for MTMTE#12; possible OOC (I'm not familiar with Cyclonus and Tailgate, so I took a guess XD)

Disclaimer: Do not own canon bits. Cover-photo belongs to IDW.

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"_I know you think we share a bond, but you're wrong. You pester and you fuss, and you talk – Primus knows you talk – and _I don't care_._

_I think you're _pathetic_."_

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Vials

"-maybe we should go to the bar. Y'know, grab a cube and unwind after all that stress. I can definitely use a cube, or three. Or maybe we should just go back to our hab suite. You probably should recharge. You wanna recharge? I think you wanna recharge. I don't wanna bother you and make you go to the bar with me if you—"

Cyclonus didn't reply, looking straight ahead, down the corridor. On the bottom edge of his vision, Tailgate bounced and chattered, voice as light as his steps as he followed after the taller mech.

Has the little Autobot not noticed how one-sided this conversation was? Did he really not realize that he was the only one talking? He kept going on and on about the bar, yet he did not protest at all when it became apparent that they were going back to their hab suite. He just…kept talking, as though the topics didn't matter as long as there were words filling the air between them.

They reached their shared quarters, Cyclonus tapping in the code. The doors slid open, and the bigger mech strode in, not sparing his smaller companion a glance. He stopped right in the middle of the room, staring at the back wall while the little bot trotted in. Tailgate was still yammering on about drinks, hand gestures aplenty as he turned to face his taller company.

"-the ones with the little crystal spheres, with the morphing colours? Those are my favourite. Hey! You think Swerve knows how to make 'em? I think I'm gonna ask him next time we—"

"_Stop_."

The word sliced through the weaving paragraph. A jagged shard of a cold blade. Cyclonus stared down at his self-appointed friend, a scowl curling his thin lips. Shadows creased the new weld-marks littered over his faceplate. His derma stretched, and the cuts stung, held together by patches.

Tailgate froze. He seemed to blink before shrinking back a step, hands fidgeting with each other in front of his chassis. Chin jerking down, he averted his gaze. He was silent, struggling for words that, only a moment before, had gushed through his mouth in torrents.

"Cyclonus," He stammered, "I-I'm sor—"

Cyclonus cursed, vents roaring in a sharp huff of frustration. He tugged himself away, steps hard and loud against the floor as he paced the room. He didn't want the little bot sorry. That was the last thing he wanted. If only Tailgate would shut up, he had thought, he'd get the chance to say what he should've said in the med bay.

Too bad his vocalizer refused to cooperate, especially now that he's finally gotten silence and a pair of attentive audials.

Tailgate peeked at him, following his agitated pacing with his visor. He thought he was being discreet, but Cyclonus could see every single tilt of his helm, as well as the flickering glances.

Oh slaggit—

"Does it not bother you?" He blurted out, stopping so abruptly that the Autobot actually jumped. "Does what I said not bother you at all?"

"Wh-What?" Tailgate actually looked genuinely confused, and Cyclonus almost raised a fist. The startled flinching back in the small mech stopped him from punching the wall, however. Cyclonus grimaced, and let out another hiss of an ex-vent. He wouldn't—…He wouldn't hurt the little bot again. Did Tailgate not know that?

"I called you pathetic. I shattered the vial." Cyclonus didn't know why he was yelling. "Does neither of those things bother you in the slightest?"

Tailgate blinked. He looked down as he thought about it.

"But…you helped me pick up the pieces." He answered, voice small. "So it doesn't really bother me."

Cyclonus stared at the little bot, and his brow-ridges dipped.

…_But it bothers _me.

With a long, hissed sigh, he turned away, and muttered a string of curses through gritted dentae. He rubbed his faceplate to hide his expression, and took several kliks just to cycle gulps of air through his system. A few, quiet steps, and a tentative touch on his hip. Cyclonus lowered his hand, glancing down to the side, and found Tailgate looking up at him, a tiny flicker of a smile in his visor.

"And you saved me, when I refused to let go of the bomb." The Autobot shrugged. "That means a lot more than some prickly words, Cyclonus."

The small hand was warm.

"Besides, it doesn't really matter that the vial broke." The visor was bright, the voice friendly.

The smile grew:

"I've got plenty more innermost energon to spare."

The words hung between them.

Cyclonus…could only stare.

He could only stare, rendered speechless by the little bomb-disposal unit.

His vents burst out a curt huff, the sound not quite a chuckle.

What else could he do, when the small mech already said everything that needed to be said?

Tailgate started getting restless. He didn't do well with extended episodes of silence. He looked around, thoughts practically visible, flying across his visor. His search landed on the berth, and the small, warm hand tightened a little, digits firm on Cyclonus's hip.

"Hey, since you're obviously not gonna recharge…wanna frag?"

Cyclonus almost spluttered.

The tiny Autobot – the tiny, stubby, downright infuriating chatterbox of an Autobot – lifted his helm, and gave him an inviting, cute little quirk.

Aaargh, Primus-damnit—

"Get on the berth."

Tailgate's visor flashed in delight. As he hopped toward the said berth, vocalizer running faster than Blurr on a racetrack, Cyclonus let out a discreet chuckle, a smile fleeting on his lips.

As it turned out, a smack on the aft stopped that vocalizer real quick.

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**Notes:** Just a little ficlet on the most recent volume of MTMTE. There is much I want to say about it, but I'll spare you the lengthy paragraphs. XD Let's just say it's definitely worth giving a read, so go read it now if you haven't!

Review, please?

Ps: Add me on Tumblr! acteon-carolsfeld . tumblr (dot c o m); and "_Insatiable_" tomorrow. ;)


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